MEXICAN WAVE

Meet the experimental young architects that are challenging the status quo

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Dynamic and rich in heritage, nature and contemporary culture, Mexico is a thriving playground for architectural experimentation. A strong tradition of globally prominent architecture practice, much of it high profile and socially engaged – think Frida Escobedo, Gabriela Carrillo, Tatiana Bilbao or Fernanda Canales – has paved the way with promise and practitioners ready to challenge the status quo. It is not a country without problems. Socioeconomic divides, security concerns and the environmental worries shared across the globe mean there's a lot of work to be done by the country’s new generation of designers, too. Luckily, Mexico's emerging architecture studios are ready for business – and even if they don’t have all the answers just yet, they come armed with a strong desire for change, trialling and testing in order to produce designs that will help move the needle on all counts, for their own home and beyond. Ellie Stathaki

AIDIA STUDIO

Mexico City and London

Rolando Rodríguez-Leal and Natalia Wrzask met in London in 2006. Before establishing their own practice, Aidia Studio, in 2018, the Mexican-Polish couple worked at leading international firms, including Zaha Hadid Architects and Ateliers Jean Nouvel. Now, their designs aim to blend environmental considerations with form-finding exploration, balancing ambitious, eye-catching looks with sustainability concerns and a contextual take.